Town leaders of a small community southeast of Alexandria have repealed a ban on pit bulls and rottweilers this week.

Backlash of the Moreauville breed ban went national after the Owens family took to Facebook to fight the town's ordinance. The ban would have taken effect this week forcing residents to get rid of pit bulls or rottweilers or face mandated euthanasia.

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"I am a responsible owner of a pit bull named Zeus," the Saving Zeus Facebook page reads. "He is an amazing animal that has come to be more than just our family dog, but our fur baby."

O'Hara Owens, her family and their pit bull Zeus live in Moreauville. The family said that the dog acts as a therapy dog for O'Hara, who suffers from neck issues, uses a Halo brace and often experiences seizures at night.

That's when the family launched the Saving Zeus Facebook page in an effort to help plead with city leaders to reverse the breed ban ordinance. An another effort came in the form of The Save Zeus petition, which garnered more than 240,000 signatures from people across the country.

And the effort wasn't only confined to the Internet. Soon local newspapers, TV stations and national media outlets picked up the story, forcing city leaders to place the hold and schedule a special meeting to address the ordinance.

That special meeting was held this week which repealed the breed ban the day it was to have taken effect. Instead, owners will be taken to court rather than confiscating rottweilers or pit bulls.

Moreauville previously joined communities around the country that are turning to breed bans in an effort to end often random attacks. But the ASPCA states that breed bans only "create the illusion, but not the reality of enhanced public safety."

"The reality is that dogs of many breeds can be selectively bred or trained to develop aggressive traits," the ASPCA said. "Therefore the responsible owner of any dog requires a commitment to proper socialization, humane training and conscientious supervision."